In an embodiment, a powered device (PD) interface circuit includes a lower priority PD and a higher priority PD. The lower priority PD is configured to receive, and to couple to a power supply onboard a subsystem, a first power signal from first power source equipment (PSE). And the higher priority PD is configured to receive a second power signal from second PSE, to couple the second power signal to the power supply, and to prevent the lower priority PD from coupling the first power signal to the power supply while the higher priority PD is coupling the second power signal to the power supply. That is, such a PD interface circuit is configured to impart a respective priority to each PD such that if two or more PDs receive power from respective PSEs, then the interface circuit enables only the PD having the higher priority to couple a corresponding PSE power signal to the power supply onboard the subsystem.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
2. The interface circuit of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first powered device and the second powered device includes a respective Ethernet powered device.
5. The interface circuit of claim 1 wherein the second powered device is configured to prevent the first powered device from coupling the first power signal to the power supply by disabling the first powered device from coupling the first power signal to the power supply.
6. The interface circuit of claim 1 wherein the second powered device is configured to prevent the first powered device from coupling the first power signal to the power supply by coupling the second power signal to a disable node of the first powered device.
7. The interface circuit of claim 1 wherein the second powered device is configured to prevent the first powered device from coupling the first power signal to the power supply by coupling the second power signal to an auxiliary-power node of the first powered device.
8. The interface circuit of claim 1 wherein the second powered device is configured to prevent the first powered device from coupling the first power signal to the power supply by configuring the first powered device to uncouple the first power signal from the power supply.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein the second powered device is configured, in response to an absence of the second power signal, to allow the first powered device to couple the first power signal to the power supply.
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February 12, 2019
April 11, 2023
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